I am Raides Abus, 48 years old, married, with four children. My family and I live in Barangay Diit in Agutaya, Palawan. Our main source of income is fishing. This has sustained our family and has allowed us to send our children to school. We also cultivate and harvest seaweeds to augment our family income. But life in the island is hard. Sometimes we can barely make ends meet. This prompted me to look for ways to earn a regular income, and ensure that our children can go to college.
In October 2016, I participated in a livelihood training conducted by DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) and ASF (The Andres Soriano Foundation) here in Diit. Together with other participants, I learned how to weave buri leaves and make handicraft products such as hats, bags, coin purses, and picnic boxes. After the training, we decided to form a women’s group so we can implement this livelihood project and support one another.
With the help of ASF, we are able to market our handicraft products to Amanpulo Resort in Pamalican Island. When we receive a purchase order from the resort, mostly for hats, we divide the work, with each weaver committing to produce a share of the order. Once we have a substantial number of hats, we send them to ASF field staff in Cuyo Mainland and Manamoc Island for quality check; they then forward the hats to Amanpulo Resort. This process goes on until the order is completed and payment has been received; and starts again when a new purchase order comes in.
This has now become my main livelihood while my husband continues to do fishing and seaweed farming. Life is now much more comfortable. We are very grateful to be able to provide well for our children and meet the daily needs of our family. Our older children have already finished college while the youngest has just started this school year.
As a member and leader of our group, I encourage other women to join so they, too, can learn this trade and have a regular source of income. Over the years, I have learned how to deal with different people, build the capacity of each member, and effectively manage our project. I also serve as a skills trainer, not just here in Diit, but also in nearby island communities in Canipo and Villa Sol. I am very happy to teach other women how to make handicraft products so they can also make a living as a weaver. It is such a joy to get to know them and help them in my own way.
I hope that the handicraft industry continues to grow in our island communities and help uplift the lives of our families. We still have a long way to go, but perhaps one day our handicraft products will be known all over Palawan and in other parts of the Philippines and the world!
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Translated from Cuyonon/Filipino. Interview conducted by Daniel Dino.
Supporting women weavers is part of the Foundation’s ongoing livelihood program which aims to build the capacity of individuals and groups to access alternative livelihood and explore environmentally-sensitive sources of income.